Cold War Flashcards
NATO
North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Defended against communism, Eastern Europe, Warsaw Pact.
Iron Curtain
Imaginary line that divided Eastern and Western Europe.
Sputnik
A soviet satellite that scared the US because it meant they had a missile strong enough to reach the US.
Baby Boom
An increase in the birthrate from 1941-1961 that made suburbs flourish and people move out of cities.
Arms Race
Race to build more powerful weapons.
Truman Doctrine
A policy that promised aid to people and/or countries struggling to resist democratic freedom. It helped contain communism.
38th Paralell
The North/South Korea boundary. North was communist. South was controlled by a US supported leader.
Containment
Stopping the spread of communism.
Interstate Highway Act
$32 billion act to build 41,000 miles of highways that got people and troops places faster.
McCarthyism
When innocent people were accused of being communist. It ruined peoples’ careers and lives.
Suburbs
Residential areas surrounding cities that increased the house amount and made cities earn less tax money.
CIA
US spy agency created after World War Two
Warsaw Pact
The alliance of communist Eastern European countries that were against NATO.
Berlin Airlift
Flew fuel, food, and equipment into Berlin to US troops. This made Stalin call of the blockade in 1949.
Cold War
Tension between the NATO and Warsaw Pact countries. There was no actual fighting between the US and the Soviets, but fighting in Korea.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
General famous for D-Day who won the 1952 and 1956 elections. He started the space race.
Harry S. Truman
Roosovelt’s vice president wh combated communism with the Truman Doctrine.
George Marshall
He was the army chief and secretary of state that developed the Marshall Plan in 1947 to rebuild Europe. He won the Nobel Peace Prize.
Elvis
The popular rock star of the ’50s that inspired youthful energy and was popular with teens.
Douglas MacArthur
Army general who wanted to bomb China. Truman refused and fired him after he tried to gain support for his ideas.
What happened to the economic circle after World War II and why?
It went a lot faster because people had saved money during the war and were ready to spend.
How did Americans feel toward communists and why?
They hated communists because they didn’t like communism. They were nationalist and disagreed with them politically and economically.
What is containment and how did the Marshall Plan and Nato help this?
Stopping the spread of communism and the Marshall Plan provided economic aid to European countries to make sure already Democratic countries didn’t fall apart. Also, NATO would start a war if communism spread.
How did the Truman Doctrine help with containment?
This promised aid to people struggling to resist Democratic freedom. It got people to choose democracy over communism.
